Forever Bright, the Night Will Shine
by callusdecember
Summary: 3rd Generation Harry Potter. Hogwarts house enemies and unforgotten pasts may affect people, but not everyone. Just normal Hogwarts students learning about life, love, and how to accept differences. Lily Luna Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, Hugo Weasley, and OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay everyone, so, here is our (Kat and Shae's) first story. This is Shae by the way, we're writing this story together, so one chapter will be Kat, then me, then Kat, etc. To make it easier, I have the odd numbered chapters and Kat has the even numbered chapters.

Here is a complete overview:

It's after the war and about Harry and Co.'s kids going off to Hogwarts.

We are writing this in different point of views. Both of us have a different character we mainly write about and their point of view.

My (Shae's) side of the story is from the OC Miya Malfoy who is the daughter of Draco Malfoy and the twin sister of Scorpius.

Kat's side of the story is from…well you'll find out.

This is set approximately 21 years after the war is over and Voldemort is defeated.

3rd generation Harry Potter, oh yess (;

Now on to the chapter! Please leave us reviews, we love them ALMOST as much as we love cookies! Just saying :D

Disclaimer: If either of us were JKR we wouldn't be writing FanFiction, we would definitely be writing an eighth book.

**NOTE:** You will get this later on in the story but, yeah they're eleven and yeah they all act like more 14+ year olds. We know this and we apologize for it. Harry Potter honestly didn't act his age either. We feel more of a connection to these characters so deal with this. Thank you (:

Also, we started typing and posting this story up on FanFiction about a year ago on a completely different account, but we have now deleted it. If you find this plot similar to maybe something you've seen before, that may be why.

On we go to the first chapter of **Forever Bright, the Night Will Shine**.

**Narrator:**

The puff and tooting of the train at Platform 9¾ rang out, warning all riders to hurry their goodbyes. It was officially the beginning of a new school year at Hogwarts and for some, a completely new adventure and life. At the end of the station out of place with all of the bustling and loud families was a small group of darkly cloaked people, one girl standing out of them wearing ordinary jeans and a bright purple jacket. She clutched her trunk nervously as she nervously shifted her feet, ready to board the train. A boy her age stood next to her, sneering and trying to look like his father who was standing behind him with a proud smirk on his face as he looked on at his son.

As the whistle blew, the father said gruffly with little emotion, "Alright kids, off with you," and pushed them forward towards the train.

~•~•~

**Miya:**

_Finally, no more being ordered around and sneered at in disrespect. I hope at Hogwarts I will be able to make some friends; this is my chance to have a fresh start and new beginning. _After father roughly pushed us I walked along the side of the train, pulling my heavy trunk along, and started towards the entrance of the compartment.

"Oh no you don't!" snarled Scorpius, my twin brother, as he came up behind me and pushed me out of the doorway. He stepped around me and proudly onto the train, as though he were seemingly the king of the world, and sent me a disdainful look that obviously said he wished he wasn't related to me. In his mind, I didn't deserve to be here; I was better off as a Potter or a Weasley.

Scor had always felt as though he were the more superior Malfoy, always determined to follow his father's footsteps with pride. The war was most certainly over and Voldemort was defeated, but it was always rather obvious who supported whom because of their rather solemn depositions and look of forever discontent etched in their faces. No matter what, the Malfoy name would always be associated with the dark side of the war. Scorpius turned around, almost slamming into me, and solemnly waved goodbye to Mother and Father. Then he dashed off down the train's corridor, looking for his friends Crabbe and Goyle.

I honestly think that mother and father thought I was a mistake, a complete accident. I could never be a Malfoy with my rather upbeat and optimistic attitude and my easy smile; I never should've been Scorpius' twin. They thought he was the model Malfoy who always followed orders and he had even inherited the family sneer that I seemed to have gotten away with. I was the one who defied the orders and the rules my parents set on us, always the silent rebel who carefully sidestepped the Malfoy sense of thought. I never had any friends because I was always kept at home and I didn't get along with the girls my parents deemed "appropriate to be friends with". None of our family ever noticed me, I always blended into the shadows while Scorpius shone and stole the lime light, not that I ever really cared. I didn't even inherit the Malfoy looks for heaven's sake. All the years before Hogwarts I had been alone and shy, but now that I've been given the chance to start at Hogwarts, I was absolutely positively _sure_ that I would change and finally live out of the shadow of my family name.

I politely smiled and nodded goodbye to my parents and turned to follow Scorpius, but he had scurried away. I looked left and right at all the full compartments, all filled with old friends laughing and chatting away happily. _I guess this is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought…_

_~•~•~_

A/N: So, what did you think? Like it? Love it? Gotta have it? Tell me in a review please! I get that that was incredibly short, but we wrote this all of this all in a notebook that we had to repeatedly pass back and forth. I really hope this first chapter does the whole story justice, so just keep on reading!

Anyways, the more reviews the quicker the updates (;

Onto Kat's chapter!

~Shae (:


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello everyone, Miss Kat here(: Ready for chapter two? But first! Important Info: James is in 4th year; Albus is in 3rd. Just to clear that up. Ok, on with the story!

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" Oh my god. Oh my god! OH MY GOD! Finally, I got to follow in my brothers footsteps. It was my turn to board the train, my turn to find a compartment, and at last, it was my turn to go to Hogwarts.

•••

I took all of five steps onto the train before my spirits fell. My two older brothers, James and Albus, had both gone off with their friends, not bothering to pay any attention to their little sister. _Get a hold of yourself, Lily! You don't need them. _But all off the compartments were full of old friends, perfectly happy in their own tightly knit groups. _No room for a lonely firstie..._ I bit my lip and began to walk along the train's narrow corridors when I spotted another girl about my age, looking just as clueless and lost as I must have looked no more than ten seconds earlier. Feeling slightly relieved that I wasn't the only firstie stuck without a compartment, I took a deep breath and walked up to her.

"Hi, I'm Lily and I'm new here and I don't have anywhere to sit so I was wondering if you wanted to go and find a compartment."

I said all of this very fast; when it came to making friends I was nearly as shy as Al. Popularity was James forte, not mine. Her eyes, green but nothing like the familiar warm emeralds of my fathers, stared back at me, looking me over. She seemed to be trying to figure out who the hell I was, or perhaps what I had just tried to say. Then, the girls face lit up and she smiled.

"Sure!" she replied, beaming.

"I think there will be some empty ones at the back of the train; no one ever sits back there."

"Cool," she said, as we walked through the train, finally finding an empty compartment. Once we sat down, she faced me once more and said, "I'm Miya, I'm new too. God, I thought I would just be standing there forever!"

I soon found that Miya was very easy to talk to, and we were instant friends.

"My older brothers ditched me and I had no clue where I was going to sit. Thank Merlin I ran into you!"

"Same here. I probably would've ended up in the teachers' compartment!"

The sentence sparked a question into mind.

"You have older brothers too?"

When she replied, there was ice in her voice.

"No, just one. We're twins, but he's nearly as bossy as my father."

I could tell I had hit a nerve so I dropped the subject. For the rest of the train ride we talked, laughed, and ate enough chocolate frogs to last a lifetime. The compartment became quiet, however, when I noticed that Miya had stopped laughing, and was now staring from one of her chocolate frog cards to me and back to the card again.

"You're a Potter," she said slowly, turning the card around to reveal my father, smiling politely back at me. I flushed bright red, immensely embarrassed. Ever since my Dad had defeated Voldemort and became an Auror, he was even more popular than he was before.

"Yeah…." I mumbled, staring at the floor. However, when I looked up, her face was frozen in not a look of mocking but of envy. _What was her problem with her family, _I wondered, _that made her wish for another's?_

I made a mental note to find out just who her parents were, but I wouldn't be nosy. I didn't want to lose my only friend so early in the year. Besides, the train was slowing down, and as we turned around the bend, a large castle came into view. At last, I had made it to Hogwarts.

A/N: So, enjoying life from the POV of the fabulous Miss Lily Luna Potter? I know I am! If you are too, a review would be most lovely(: Tootles!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hope you're enjoying the story so far laves. Please review if you have the time, it means a lot to me. Thank you (:

Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.

~Shae

~•~•~

_Friend. _ While Lily was looking out the compartment window I mouthed the word, liking how it felt around my lips; it was like an exotic, warm, and breathtaking flavor in my mouth, the forbidden fruit that I never had the chance to taste. _How could I ever explain that I was a Malfoy? Look at her, a set-for-life Potter, while I was doomed to be looked down upon! _ I was eternally glad that she decided to sit with me, but there would forever be differences.

Lily and I looked quite similar with red hair and green eyes. I inherited these looks from my mother's side, thankfully. But while her features were soft, mine were rather rigid and harsh. Her hair curled in bouncy tendrils that flowed down to the middle of her shoulder blades like a cascading waterfall of red. Mine, in opposite, was long that reached the small of my back and was stick straight really no matter what I tried to do with it. Her face was heart-shaped and had more of a glowing complexion. On the contrary, my features were sharp and aggressive with angular cheekbones. Our eyes were distinctly different shades of green even. Hers were the shiny emerald green with little gold flecks in them that you just wanted to stare into forever while my eyes were a mixture of both my parents; they were dark green I guess you could say, but they had icy gray flecks to them that made you look twice to see if you really saw them. I thankfully didn't inherit the extremely pale skin and instead had mildly tan skin with a few sprinkles of freckles, but I would still be a fright compared to her. She always smiled and flitted around, bubbly and happy. A bright streak of sunlight in a dark storm, at least that's what she looked like. I sighed, hoping some of it might rub off on me. But I would be probably known as the freaky emo girl that Lily hangs out with. Always second best, just like at home.

Suddenly, Lily jumped up out of her seat as she turned to face me.

"Look! We're here!" She pointed out the window and quickly bounded out of the compartment, but stuck her head in and said, "See ya at the sorting; I need to go find my brothers!" Then, she sped off, leaving me alone in the compartment. Quickly, I took out my robe and slipped it on over my clothes. Feeling alone, I followed the crowd filing out of the corridor with my head hung down. I knew I would never be able to find my brother, at least without him ignoring me.

"Firs' years, firs' years o'er here. Come this way!" a loud booming voice rang out. I ducked under everybody's arms, being rather short for my age, and reached the massive man calling out to the assembly of students.

"Hello, my name's Hagrid!" he called out gruffly as he rounded us into a cluster of boats that were floating on a dark lake. Behind me I saw Lily talking amiably with two other boys, one who looked _exactly_ like the famous Harry Potter and the other with long black hair and light brown eyes. I sighed, knowing that they would be her older brothers. I coundln't find any other available boat so I was forced to climb into one with Scorpius and his minions.

"Hey sis!" he said, grinning, and I stared, taken aback. _What?_ Then he widened his eyes, cleared his throat, and turned back to Crabbe, seemingly scowling at himself. _What the hell was that? He never smiled at me, least of all said hello. _ But right then castle came into view, magnificent and shining in the moonlight.

•••

Hagrid saluted us goodbye and we were pushed through the doors. A woman who reminded me of a cat rounded us all up and lead us into a gigantic room that had four tables in rows: the houses. She made all of us first years to line up in front a room full with other Hogwarts students.

Lily came to line behind me and whispered excitedly in my ear, "Oh, I just can't wait to get sorted! What house do you want to get placed in?"

I shrugged nonchalantly and faced my attention back to the headmaster's speech, while actually on the inside I was deathly afraid about what people thought of me and what house I would be put in. My parents of course always talked about Slytherin and how big of their expectations were us for getting into it, while I was always unsure about it. Before I had the chance to think about it anymore the names began to be called out.

"CARTER, SAMANTHA!"

"GRANT, RYAN!"

"KIM, ALYSSA!"

"MALFOY, MIYA!" I literally jumped in my place. Lily slowly turned around to face me, mouth agape and eyes widened. I gulped and walked up shakily as I felt the stares on my back and I could already hear the whispers of me being a Malfoy. I jumped up on the stool and held my breath as the headmistress placed the hat on my head. I didn't know what to expect, did it read my thoughts? Did it test me with something? Suddenly, there was a voice in my head:

"Hmmm, very interesting indeed. To strong-willed to be a Hufflepuff. Not quite the brains for Ravenclaw. A family of Slytherins, but not quite right. That then leaves…"

"_**GRYFFINDOR**_**!**"

The room was dead silent. I quickly tore off the hat and ran straight to the table, trying to ignore everyone's gazes, especially Lily's. I shivered, not getting a warm welcome from anyone at the Gryffindor table as they, instead, stared opening at me. My brother's name was called, followed by a quick shout of "SLYTHERIN!" He turned to glare at me on his way to the other end of the Hall. I put my head down through the rest of the sorting, and only lifted it when I heard "POTTER, LILY!" called and waiting expectantly as the hat pondered.

~•~•~

A/N: HAHAHAHAH CLIFFY FOR YOU! Yeah, I can't wait for the outcome of the story, hope you do too! REVIEW OR MY SQUIRRELS WILL EAT YOUR INSIDES OUT! ;D

As you can see, I LOVE descriptive words and details. A LOT.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Kat here! So, Miya is a GRYFFINDOR! *gasp!* Let's see what our dear friend Lily has to say about this… FYI this starts back when they were first getting off the train(:

"Look! We're here!" I bolted out of my seat, estatic as the luminous castle came into view. After three years of waiting and listening to my brothers' stories, I was finally here; finally at Hogwarts where I could begin my own story. With a quick word of departure to Miya, I raced off to find James and Albus.

"JAMES! AL!" I raced towards them, shoving my way through the crowd.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" said James, laughing. "Someone's excited."

"Of course she is, she's a firstie." added Al, smiling.

"Hey guys! I can't wait until the sorting!" I exclaimed.

"You know, if you aren't in Gryffindor we'll hate you for all eternity and probably never speak to you again." said James seriously. "No pressure though," he added with a smirk.

I stuck my tongue out at him when Albus gasped.

"Lily! Hurry up, you're gonna miss the boats!" I jumped and dashed towards the lake, catching the last boat just as it was pushed into the water. I looked up to see that the boat only had one other passenger, a familiar red-head with freckles…

"Hugo!" he looked up and smiled as his eyes met mine. He was Hugo Weasley, one of my best friends and my cousin.

"Hey Lils," he said, beaming. "I didn't see you on the train."

"Oh sorry," I replied. "I met this girl named Miya and we just kinda started talking. Did you find a place to sit?" I asked nervously. _I hope he wasn't as lost as I had been, _I thought, feeling bad for not looking for him.

"Oh, it's fine. I sat with Rose and her friends." Good. Unlike my siblings, his older sister Rose actually made him feel welcome at Hogwarts. I sighed and Hugo looked up.

"What's up?" We had grown up together; he always knew when something was wrong.

"Nothing," I replied. "Just James and Albus. Mostly James."

"Has he been giving you the cold shoulder again? Don't take it personally, older brothers don't want to be seen with their little sisters."

I was taken aback. _ Unwanted, is that what he thought I was?_

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I shouted, glaring at him.

"Lily, no, I didn't mean-" However, I cut him off, stepping out of the boat and storming towards the castle, alone once more.

•••

By the time I reached the castle I had caught up with Miya again, and my irritation had vanished. Now, my entire focus was on the sorting as a cat-like woman began to read of names. As the other students were placed into their various houses, I didn't pay very much attention. That is, not until one particular name was called.

"MALFOY, MIYA!"

I couldn't believe it, there was no way she was a Malfoy! I hated the Malfoys! My whole family did! I slowly turned to face her, my mouth hanging open, but she refused to meet my eyes. She looked nervously to the floor as she walked up to the stool, and I continued to stare in disbelief as the hat was placed on her head. Suddenly, the hat's yell broke the silence. However, no one had expected the outcome. The Hall remained silent as Miya trudged over to her new house table- the Gryffindor table.

•••

Thoughts raced through my head at a rapid fire pace. _Miya, a Malfoy? A Malfoy, in Gryffindor?_ I didn't know which was harder to believe. However, my silent shock was soon interrupted as I heard "POTTER, LILY!" I walked up to the stage and put the hat on quickly, wanting to interrogate Miya as soon as possible. It was no question that I would be a Gryffindor- I was a Potter after all. Then I heard the voice in me ear, like a ghostly whisper:

_Are you sure that is what you want?_

Well, yes, but suddenly I was unsure… If I were in Gryffindor I would simply be overshadowed by my brothers. I didn't want that…

_Too bold for a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw perhaps?_

Then I had an insane thought. I wasn't my brothers, and I didn't have to follow any family traditions. It was time to break the cycle. And as these reckless thoughts flowed through my mind, the hat agreed. And even as I sauntered away from the hat, a smile on my face, I knew I had made the right decision. Once again, the assembly of students was at a loss for words as I took my seat in the sea of green and silver. Lilian Luna Potter was a Slytherin.

A/N: Grenada! All who reveiw will be declared double cool with knobs3

Lots of Love, Miss Kat


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This story sure is going by fast! Now, hope you enjoy (:

Disclaimer: Me=not JKR. Get it? Got it? Good.

~•~•~

I sulked into the Gryffindor common room behind the prefect and the others. Everyone was whispering and looking at me sneakily as though I couldn't see them, but something else was caught in my mind.

_Lily Potter is a Slytherin! Who would've known? I thought all Potters and Weasleys were born to be Gryffindors. Guess not, I mean I'm obvious proof that all Malfoys aren't Slytherins right? _To be completely honest to myself, I wasn't quite sure of what I thought of my new found house. I'd always, although begrudgingly, thought that I was born to be a Slytherin and that your own thoughts didn't count! All of this made me dizzy with confusion.

I slowly went into my new dorm after I was introduced to my new dorm mates whose names I didn't even bother to remember for the fact that they were blantantly staring and whispering to each other while looking at me. _Are not all Gryffindors friendly? _I sighed and decided to go back to the common room; we still had another hour until lights out.

I stepped into the room and saw everyone chatting away happily with each other in all the comfy chairs. Everything seemed so relaxed and laid back, something I'd never really experienced before. The room glowed with an atmospheric red and gold, the stuffed arm chairs looked absolutely delightful to sit in. The smell of warm burning fires and, well, _home_ filled the air—I knew I could definitely get used to this. It seemed like everyone was already friends with each other and none would give a second glance, except to gossip, at me. I sighed again, it was becoming a habit already, and was just about to head back to the stairs when I saw a boy that Lily was talking to earlier sitting by himself in a chair next to a fireplace. He was kind of lanky with long fire red hair that curled on his forehead. His solemn face was covered in freckles and his large brown eyes stared unfocused at the fireplace. I took a deep breath._ Is this worth it?_ I steeled myself and took a deep breath, and before I regret my decision I started to walk over and said,

"Hey, can I sit here with you?"

He shrugged morosely and said, "Sure, whatever." not turning around to face me.

"Thanks!" I said breathlessly, sitting in the armchair across from him. "So, are you a first year too?"

"Yeah, but things aren't going too well…" he replied.

"Why is that?" I asked, curious.

"My best friend literally _betrayed _me. She got put in Slytherin and now I'm all alone. I trusted her to be with me." he said, still not bothering to glance at who he was speaking to, and I blinked.

"Wait, are you talking about Lily Potter?"

"Yes!" he said, snapping his head around to face me. Then his eyes widened, and he pursed his lips. "You're Miya Malfoy, aren't you?"

"Well…" I said nervously, looking down at my lap.

"I guess you aren't any better Lily now, are you?" he said, turning away stiffly.

"Hey, she was my friend too! And she…" I shook my head, knowing it was not going to be worth it. "Well, I guess I'll just…" I made a move to get up and leave but then he turned around and exclaimed,

"WAIT!"

I raised my eyebrows. His faced flushed red all the way to his ears. "I m-mean, it's still not a while until lights off, and I'm Hugo, um Weasley." he said shyly.

_Ah, no wonder why they were friends, they're cousins! Imagine what father would say if I became friends with him. But what could be worse? I've already been put into Gryffindor for Merlin's sake! I wonder what I am to him, a desperate measure to have someone to talk to? He does seem rather lonely._

"I'm Miya…Malfoy obviously." I grinned.

~•~•~

I jumped out of bed, excited about my second day at Hogwarts! I had made two new friends (even though I still hadn't talked to Lily since the sorting). I got dressed into my new Gryffindor attire with a light gray skirt, white blouse, red and gold tie, gray sweater vest, and large black robes. I carefully brushed my long straight hair, it was a dark shiny auburn color that wasn't brown, yet wasn't bright red like Lily's or Hugo's except for out in the sun when it shined like spun gold. I walked out to the Great Hall as confidently as I could, prepared to eat a nice breakfast. As I stepped in was was overwhelmed seeing Lily and Hugo, yelling their throats out and having a massive fight.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? I DEPENDED ON YOU BEING THERE FOR ME!" Hugo screeched.

"I'M NOT A BABY ANYMORE HUGO! I CAN MAKE MY OWN CHOICES!" she replied.

_Oh, crap! What should I do?_ Without much thought I quickly got in between, meaning to separate them.

"YOU!" they both screamed as they saw me trying to pull them apart.

"Who do you think you are?" Lily retorted, turning around and crossing her arms.

"WHAT?" I replied, "I was only trying to help!"

"Oh yeah, well why cant you just leave us be and let us talk?"

"TALK? You guys were_ screaming_!" I rolled my eyes, aware that the whole hall was deliberately staring at the spectacle.

"And what a great friend you are, afraid and ashamed to let the world know your true identity enough to not mention it to your friends! No, you would rather lie to everyone! Just wait until I tell everybody what you're REALLY like!" she snarled.

"Bu-" I was about to reply when Hugo pulled my arm.

"There's no use Miya, let's go," he said in a low voice, pulling me towards the Gryffindor table. Lily stormed away and plunked down at the Slytherin table, but not before she sent us a cold-hearted stare.

"I have experience with her mood swings, and it takes her awhile to calm down. Just let her have some space." Hugo said, his face clouded with anger.

"Okay," I said slowly, not believing that Lily would have such a temper. How could this happen? She is my first friend! I really hope that she wouldn't stay mad at us. I turned around to glance over at the Slytherin table when I noticed her talking amiably with…who? SCORPIUS? _Holy Merlin! _Scor was even SMILING! I widened my eyes and turned to Hugo.

"She is talking to my BROTHER! And he's SMILING!" I exclaimed. Then, of course, everyone at our table turned to stare at me. I was already the weirdo and it had only been a couple of hours at Hogwarts!

"Er…just kidding..." I said, laughing nervously. They rolled their eyes and turned back to their meals while Hugo not-very-discreetly snickered into his palm.

"THIS IS NOT FUNNY!"

~•~•~

Good News: Hugo is in _all_ of my classes.

Bad News: So are Lily and Scorpius, and they're both still mad at me.

Well Gryffindors and Slytherins apparently have _all_ classes together, something about having house unity or whatnot. My absolute FAVORITE class is Defense Against the Dark Arts, or DADA. Hugo and I joked under our breath, "So who's MAMA?" until a sneering 3rd year saw fit to ruin our joke by pointing out that the Ministry of Magic was MoM. (A/N: yeah…Kat pointed that out…) Hugo and I have been spending more and more time together, sitting with each other in every class, and now we were positively attached at the hip. I can't help but smile and brighten up every time I see his freckly face and his flame-red hair. It must've also been his completely outgoing attitude and his lack of prejudice against my last name.

I hadn't gotten news from my parents yet, it being only the 2nd day of school, but I knew I would soon be lectured on. Scorpius has been avoiding me, just like Lily-I wonder how he feels about all of this? Unfortunately I could only wonder how long it would be until my parents, Scorpius, _and_ Lily would confront me. Boy I already had a lot on my plate.

~•~•~

A/N: So….good? Bad? Not enough mega screamo fighting? Liking the one-two chapter daily updates? I don't know if we'll be able to keep this up later, but review and let me know! We've already been getting some feedback which is quite excellent. I'm always up for concrit (constructive criticism) so please do leave us some (:

~Shae


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Ready for Chapter 6? Lily's first night as a Slytherin, let's see what she's gotten herself into shall we? Quick note, this story is rated T for a reason, and all who are offended by strong language should refrain from further reading. Thank you(:

As I followed my house back to our common room, I began to doubt my decision. _I don't have any friends here. And what will everyone think of me? _ I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. _I'm independent, a lone wolf. This was my choice, after all. _I was about to walk up to my new dormitory when I saw three boys walk in, one of which looked strangely familiar…

"Aren't you Miya's brother?" I asked, striding over to him. His face darkened at the name and I was worried that he was more like his father than I had hoped, rude and superior-feeling towards anyone and everyone who wasn't pureblood and perfect by his family's standards. However, he simply replied.

"Yeah, that's me. I'm Scorpius." he said, extending his hand. I shook it nervously. He seemed nice enough, so I took a chance and introduced myself.

"I'm Lily."

He snorted. "Well, I'm pretty sure everyone knows that. The first Potter to join the house of serpents! Just wait, your name will be down in history any day now." He smiled, and I smiled back. _Maybe he's not as bad as I though. Miya obviously has some family issues, so of course she was biased. That wasn't my problem though. _Scorpius interrupted my thoughts.

"You have older brothers, don't you?"

_Oh god! His dad will have told him all kinds of horrible things about my family and I!_

"Um…yeah. James and Albus. They're older…" I trailed off, nervously. He caught the tone in my voice and smiled reassuringly.

"I was just wondering. They must have told you tons of stuff about Hogwarts." he said. _Was that a hint of jealousy I heard? Surely his parents had talked about their childhood… _As if he had read my mind, Scorpius added

"My dad doesn't like to talk about his past, especially his school years." I frowned. My parents had countless stories about their adventures at Hogwarts. However, I noticed that like Miya, Scorpius didn't care to discuss his family. I dropped the subject and instead began to ask about his classes. We had all of our classes together, and my day immediately got brighter. We kept talking until we were the last ones in the common room. I soon realized how tired I was, and my eyes slowly fluttered closed…

•••

I woke up with a start as I looked around the unfamiliar room. _Oh, of course. I was in my dorm. _Then I had an embarrassing thought- I had fallen asleep in the common room. Someone would have had to carry me all the way upstairs. Scorpius? I blushed a deep crimson and frantically rid myself of the thought. I dressed quickly, hoping to avoid the other girls when they woke up. However, as I was getting ready to slip out the door, one of the girls stirred. I froze at the door as she sat up, her long, wavy brown hair covering her face. She tucked her hair behind her ear to reveal deep cerulean blue eyes. The girl groaned as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, turning to face me.

"Oh," she said, realizes she wasn't alone. "Hi," she mumbled groggily. "I'm Melonie. Mel for short." she added with a smile. I met her eyes with a warm smile of my own.

"Hello. I'm-"

"Lily. Lily Potter." she interrupted. "Everybody knows that. You're, like, a legend! You're a Potter but you're not a Gryffindor. No, you're not like the others, you're a Slyth! Welcome to the house of green and silver, by the way. Hey, weren't you talking to Scorpius last night?" She said all of this VERY quickly, and it took me a moment to comprehend what I had just heard.

"Oh…Scorpius…um, yeah." She smiled evilly, giving me an accusing look.

"You like him." she said, not asking but simply stating it as a fact. "You like Scorpius MALFOY!" She _tsk_ed and shook her head. "You must really like making your family hate you."

"Hey!" I snapped, fury in my eyes. "My parents will support me no matter what!" I said, though I wasn't sure if I entirely believed it myself. "And they don't have to know about Scorpius…" I added in an undertone.

Melonie's eyes got big and her grin widened. "Wow, can you spell drama?" She stared at me in awe. "Who knew that not only would a Potter make into Slytherin, but for good reason too! You're devious."

"Um…thank you. I think."

She laughed, her blue eyes sparkling. "Yeah, that was a compliment. This year might be fun after all, what with you and your secret relationships." I smiled back at her, agreeing. _I don't know about fun, but this year will definantly be interesting..._ Still beaming, I walked down to the Great Hall. _Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all._

•••

I was still in a good mood as I headed off in the direction of the Great Hall. That was, until my eyes met a familiar brown pair, narrowed into slits as they glared back at me. It was Hugo, and he was furious. I sighed as I walked over to him. _I might as well get this over with._

"You ditched me," he said quietly, the hurt evident in his voice. "What happened to spending our first year together?"

"Hugo, c'mon," I reasoned, not wanting to start a fight. "Don't be like this. It's not like I died, were just in different houses."

"Please. You're a SLYTHERIN, Lily." he said it with ice in his voice, as if he couldn't imagine anything worse.

"What's so horrible about that?" I shouted, my temper flaring.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS! I DEPENDED ON YOU BEING THERE FOR ME!" Hugo's words echoed throughout the Hall, and I felt as if I had been slapped. However, I didn't let my pain show.

"I'M NOT A BABY ANYMORE!" I yelled back, merely inches from his face. "I CAN MAKE MY OWN CHOICES!" Suddenly, we both stopped cold as we noticed someone between us, obviously trying to break up the fight. Of all the people to deal with at the moment, Miya was the person I least wanted to see. Hugo flashed a grimace that clearly meant that he felt the same way.

"YOU!" we screamed, glaring.

"Who do you think you are?" I yelled, turning on her. _Why couldn't she just stay the hell out of my business? _

"What?" she replied, face both angry and insulted. "I was only trying to help!" _Help? _I snorted.

"Why cant you just leave us be and let us talk?"

"TALK? You were SCREAMING!" she yelled, rolling her eyes. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to claw her eyes out. That bitch honestly had the nerve to roll her eyes at me!

"And what a great friend you are, afraid to let the world know who you are! No, you would rather lie to everyone! Just wait until I tell everybody what you're REALLY like!" I screamed. She seemed taken aback, and was about to reply when Hugo grabbed her arm. He muttered something in her ear and they walked off, together, back to the Gryffindor table. _That traitor! How dare he take __**her **__side!_ Fuming, I stormed over to the Slytherin table. I gasped when I saw a pair of grey eyes watching me.

"So, how much of that did you see?"

"Enough," replied Scorpius, frowning. "Hey, don't let Miya get to you. She's kinda what you would call a bad nut." I smiled and he seemed happier now that I was happy too. He offered me some eggs from a nearby platter and I noticed that despite all of the food I had eaten at the feast last night, I was extremely hungry. I piled my plate and began to eat while Scorpius went on.

"As for your other friend, well, he's obviously not a very good friend if he's going to let something as stupid as house rivalries get in the way of your friendship." He let that sink in as he helped himself to some bacon. _He had a good point…_ "You know," he said, smiling, "That's one of the best things I've heard about Slytherin house. That we stick together. We may act like total jerks to the other houses, but no one fights with anyone else. Slytherins will always stick up for other Slytherins." His grey eyes that had once seemed so cold and uninviting, like stone, had now gained warmth.

"So is that why you're talking to me? Trying to cheer me up just because I'm a fellow Slyth?"

"Well," he said, looking down. _What was this? Scorpius Malfoy, Mr. Confident himself, nervous? _

"There's that. And the fact that…well, you're different. You're feisty and independent and attractive…" he trailed off, blushing crimson. _He thought I was attractive. He had called me independent rather than stubborn. He liked me as much as I liked him. I'm falling for Scorpius Malfoy!_

"Your cute when you're nervous." I said, smiling as he looked up in shock. "Don't let that get to your head." I winked as I walked back to the Slytherin common room to get my books, not quite believing what I had just said. _Honestly, Lilian, you JUST met him! Just wait until Mel heard about this. _

A/N: And there you have it, a budding romance that just took a turn for the wild and crazy side. Reviews are accepted, in fact they're encouraged.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey readers! Editing chapters are fun. Just kidding. Hope you enjoy (:

Disclaimer: Nope, still not JKR.

~•~•~

The teachers, being the evil monsters they are, gave us so much homework that I had stayed up until one o'clock in the Common Room rapidly finishing my homework. It was crazy! School had just started and we already had this much homework? I wasn't the only one who stayed up late either, Hugo had the same amount of homework but I forced him to stay away from me or I would talk instead of finishing up. When I finally finished, I trudged up the stairs with my eyes already half-closed and fell onto the bed without bothering to take my clothes off, asleep instantly.

I woke up the next morning groggily to the morning light streaming through the window. My mind felt foggy and suddenly I remembered, _Today is my third day at Hogwarts!_ I jumped out of bed immediately, ready to go and suddenly wide awake. I looked around and noticed that all of my roommates were gone. I opened the dorm door and I realized it was so _quiet__._

"Hmm, weird…" I muttered to myself looking at my clock. "HOLY MERLIN I'M LATE!" I figured out that my alarm clock had not worked to wake me up and I was running thirty minutes behind schedule. My roommates, of course, hadn't bothered to wake me up.

I took the fastest shower of my life and brushed my teeth at light speed. I didn't even bother to brush my hair and instead hurridly put it in a completely messy ponytail. I put on my robes and rushed to the hallway with my books in a complete jumble in my arms. _Guess I'll just have to skip breakfast…_ Everyone was already in their classes and the normally bustling hall it was eerily silent. It seriously creeped my out so I started running as fast as I could, knowing that no one would see. I definitely wasn't looking at where I was going and when I rounded a corner I slammed right into someone else. Our books went flying in all directions and we flew backwards by the force.

"Ack, I'm so sorry!" I gasped, getting up and helping the girl stand. As she collected her books, I recognized her to be a fellow Gryffindor that was in the Common Room last night. Her waist length wavy hair was pitch black and hard to forget, and her skin glowed a ghostly pale white.

"You late to class too?" she asked, her voice extremely high and soft so that I had to strain my ears to hear it.

"Yeah, my alarm didn't go off." I responded, picking up my books.

"Same here. I'm Sage Moore." she said, grinning.

"Miya Malfoy." I replied nervously, wondering what she would think of me. I made sure to tell Sage my whole name, unlike my situation with Lily. She just grinned even wider, as if she didn't even know what my name meant.

"Let's go to class, shall we?" she took my arm and we ran to our class.

~•~•~

When we finally reached the classroom and sat down, panting from our run, the whole class turned to stare at us. I shrank down in my seat, which was next to Hugo, and the cat woman (now known as Mrs. McGonagall), asked us why we were late. I opened my mouth to speak but Sage had got there before me.

"We ran into some problems with the moving staircases." she said confidently, sitting up in her chair. I admired her braveness. "You know how they always change around, so we accidently went down the wrong stairway and had some trouble finding our way back." Sage finished.

"I understand, but five points from Gryffindor." McGonagall responded, a stern look etched in her face.

She continued on teaching our Transfiguration class when Hugo passed me a note. "Where were u?" I took my pencil out and scribbled, "Alarm didn't go off. Talk 2 u l8r after class." He nodded and we focused on class again, which was turning a piece of paper into a parakeet; it just sounded crazy to me

After another half an hour of embarrassingly giving my paper bright yellow bird wings, class was finally over. I gathered my books and walked out the door when suddenly Hugo grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty classroom. "You got a Howler from your parents." My face turned beet red with embarrassment.

"You weren't there so your brother had to take it. Um, your parents didn't really have good things to say about your house placement. A-and the whole Hall kinda heard." he explained, knowing how horrible I was feeling. "I'm sorry."

I gulped, "It's fine, thank you for explaining. I should probably talk to Scor, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah…" he responded hesitantly. "But good luck with that, he was really kinda pissed."

"Probably, I'll go look for him. You go ahead so you're not late for class, see ya soon." I replied nervously, and Hugo walked out.

I slowly stepped out of the empty classroom after him only to bump into Scorpius, who seemed like he was looking for me. He glared menacingly at me, "I need to talk to you."

We started walking to our next class, Potions, while he scowled. "Mom and Dad are _so _not happy. They sent in a Howler this morning. And since _someone_ wasn't here to get it, I had to be yelled at. Do you know how embarrassing that is? To be yelled at in front of everybody, even when you don't deserve it? Well, I'm giving you the Howler and good luck writing back." He handed me the sealed envelope and stalked away.

Sage came up quietly from behind me and said in her strange voice, "That didn't sound too good, did it?"

"No…" I replied, not wanting to discuss it.

"Whatever, it'll be all right." She didn't push any further and I didn't know if she heard our whole conversation. "We're gonna be late for our next class again, let's go."

~•~•~

By the time it was lunch I was starving due to the lack of breakfast. Lily hadn't looked at me the entire day and Scor hadn't talked to me after our lovely conversation. But there was always Sage and Hugo that were always willing to talk to me, thankfully. I sat down and wolfed all my food down in one swallow, as the rest of the table looked on curiously. I still hadn't had the courage to open the Howler, so I needed to find a place by myself to. I finished my lunch and got up, telling Hugo and Sage that I was going to the library. Instead, I headed to the nearest girl's restroom, making sure that all the stalls were empty. I locked myself in one of them, closed my eyes and grimaced, bracing for the impact. I pulled off the green "M" seal and:

"MIYA CASSIDY MALFOY! WHAT IN MERLIN WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU WERE SORTED INTO _GRYFFINDOR_? WE ARE EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED AND EXPECTED MUCH BETTER OUT OF YOU! ALL OF US MALFOYS HAVE HIGH MORALS AND YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW TO FOLLOW THEM LIKE THE REST OF OUR FAMILY. YOU'RE LUCKY WE HAVEN'T DECIDED TO DISOWN YOU, BUT DON'T FEEL AS THOUGH YOU DON'T OWE US A GOOD EXPLANATION. MAIL US RIGHT THIS INSTANT YOUNG LADY!"

The envelope folded itself back together and my mother's voice disappeared along with it. I could feel anger and tears already gathering in my eyes as I practically tore the envelope into little shreds. _How could they decide what I do and don't? It's MY choice to decide which house I get into. I don't care about damn Malfoy standards, I care about my own!_

I angrily swiped at my eyes and threw open the stall door when suddenly, I was face-to-face with Lily Potter.

~•~•~

A/N: Now the fate is in the hands of Kateroo! Oh, and by the way, Hugo is Hermione and Ron's son. Just to let you know. Whoever you are, I know you're reading this, so review please? You would make my day (:


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Kat, back with yet another chapter(: Enjoy!

I had managed to avoid Melonie's interrogation about what had happened with Scorpius, but I knew I couldn't put it off forever. Still, I wasn't prepared for the eager blue eyes mere inches from my face when I woke up the next morning. I screamed and jumped back, and my attacker laughed.

"Melonie? What the hell?"

"Sorry! But last night you never told me what happened with you and-" However, I clamped my hand over her mouth, cutting her off midsentence. Our other roommates, Ivy and Jade, were staring at us, obviously eavesdropping. They were twins sisters and mostly kept to themselves. Although we didn't really talk much I could tell that we were enemies, and if there were ever to be a fight we would never be allies. In a low hushed whisper I quickly told Mel,

"We just talked. I fought with Hugo and Miya and he saw the whole thing and cheered me up afterwards and yes I like him and I don't know if he likes me or even knows that I like him." I took a deep breath and added,

"I'll give you more details later, right now I need to head down to breakfast." I got ready and slipped out of my dorm, through the common room, and down to the Great Hall. Suddenly, I was face-to-face with my two older brothers, arms crossed and glaring.

"Thought you could just _slither_ off and avoid us?" said James with a Slytherin-worthy sneer.

"I don't know what your talking about." I said, matching their menacing gazes, knowing his selective word choice was merely to spark an argument. Albus snorted.

"Lily, you're in Slytherin, you-" I cut him off, furious.

"And you're in Gryffindor!" I snapped. "End of discussion." I began to turn around when someone grabbed my shoulder. I whipped out my wand and spun around, pointing it directly at the heart of my eldest brother, James.

"Get your hands off me," I growled in a low, threatening voice. He let his arm fall to his side casually, but I could tell he was caught of guard. Naturally as siblings, we had fought, but neither of us had ever pulled a wand on each other. He still looked slightly taken aback, but he had regained his composure.

"Well," he said icily. "Maybe you do belong in Slytherin." He stalked away, Albus trotting at his heels. Fuming, I tore back towards the doors.

_Anything to get me away from that horrible, judgmental, arrogant- _My thoughts were interrupted by a small brown shape fluttering in front of me. I immediately recognized the family owl, Iggy. I quickly took the letter from his foot, storming out into the empty corridor. I glanced down at the envelope and recognized my mother's handwriting, slanted and messy, a sign that she had been rushed and angry when she wrote it. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes and I dashed to find somewhere, anywhere that I could go and just be alone. Spying a deserted bathroom, I bolted over and slipped inside. I started to open the letter, but stopped when I heard a shrill yell.

"MIYA CASSIDY MALFOY!" I gulped as I realized Miya must have finally gotten her howler. I had heard her parents' hateful message and was suddenly thankful that my mother had only sent a regular letter. I was about to leave and find another place of solitude when Miya came out of a stall, stopping when she saw me.

"So you heard that?" she asked, looking down at her feet. I opened my mouth to answer, but her fierce look caused me to remain silent.

"Of course, you must be delighted, knowing that my parents hate me more than ever now."

_ How dare she think that! Did she assume that the Potter's loved the idea of having a Slytherin in the family? _I took a deep breath, not wanting to deal with this right now.

"Just keep in mind," I said, shooting daggers at her, "That your parents aren't the only ones disappointed with their daughter's house placement." Not caring whether she stayed or not, I shoved past her and didn't look back. I locked myself in the first stall I came to and heard a soft thud that told me Miya had left. Finally, I let my tears fall. _Well, _I thought miserably, _I got what I wanted. I'm all alone._

•••

I took time to compose myself, not caring how many classes I missed. Then, I put on a brave face and looked down at the crumpled envelope that was clenched tightly in my fist. _My mother's letter. _I took a deep breath, deciding I might as well open it while I was still alone. I slid my finger under the flap and broke the seal. I pulled out the wrinkled paper and began to read:

Lilian-

Please try to explain to me what in the name of Merlin you were thinking! Slytherin? As Potter's, we have certain standards, as you know, and those standards do not include filth insistent on promoting the Dark Arts! What could you possibly have done to be placed in Slytherin? I am passed disappointment: disbelieving, shocked, traumatized more accurately. Send your father and I a reply when you can come up with a logical explanation for such an irrational occurrence.

No signature, just a wet blot that I soon realized was my own fallen tear, a crystal jewel of misery. Furious tears continued to roll relentlessly down my cheeks.

_ How could she say that? Filth? How dare she? _I was ready to send her back a howler of my own, but something else caught my attention. I noticed another scrap of parchment, this one written in my father's familiar oblique script.

_ Oh no! Surely if he had read what Mother had written he wouldn't have sent anything else. _Still sobbing silently, I unfolded my father's note

Lily-

I want you to know that I don't care what house you're in. Don't let anyone try to tell who you can and can't be. I read what your mother wrote and thought I should slip this in here. Please know that your mother feels horrible and regrets writing the letter in the first place. However, I did feel fit to send it on, not because I want to make you feel bad about who you are or about your personal decisions, but because it asked a vital question. Why? I know from experience that the Sorting Hat takes your opinion into consideration and I know Slytherin would not have been its first choice for my little girl. Please send us a reply and try not to be too hard on your mother- keep in mind it wasn't me you got your temper from.

Lots of Love,

Father

I read through the note over again, my sobs gradually subsiding. _Maybe I wasn't so alone after all. _I folded up the letter and tucked it inside my robes. _The professors are going to kill me…_ Suddenly, I heard a familiar and frantic voice coming from outside.

"Lily?"

"Mel?"

"Oh my god! Lily!" I came out of the stall and Melonie wrapped her arms around me.

"Lily, everyone was worried sick! Nobody knew where you were!"

_Miya knew. She probably just wanted to cause trouble and make me miss class. _

"I'm sorry," I replied, meaning it. "My parents sent me some mail and well…I kind of just needed to be alone." A worried look crossed her face and I quickly added "I'm fine. The professors must be furious with me!" I said, changing the subject.

"Well, I think they're worried about you more than anything else. I mean, McGonagall taught your parents, so she should pretty understanding. And you know Professor Longbottom, don't you?" I sighed, relieved. As long as McGonagall took things as well as Melonie said she would, I would be fine. Neville was an old family friend, and we were surprisingly close.

"We still have 15 minutes of Herbology left; Professor Longbottom sent me to come find you. We should probably tell him you're ok." She said, checking her watch. "Let's go." She grabbed my hand reassuringly, and together we sprinted off towards the greenhouses.

•••

I raced into the Herbology greenhouse, out of breath and with Melonie by my side.

"Lily," breathed Neville, looking relieved. "Where were y-" He stopped abruptly when he saw the look I was giving him that clearly said _We'll talk later. _"Well, go ahead and take a seat. We were looking at the mandrake diagram on page 48." I sat down next to Melonie, knowing he would question me as soon as class was over. Sure enough, after the lesson he dismissed the class and motioned for me to come over to his desk.

"So, do you wanna tell me what's up?" he asked.

"That depends," I replied, "are you asking as my professor or my friend?" He smiled warmly.

"Your friend. But who's to say that I can't be both?" I smiled back at him and told him everything that had happened that day, except for the fact that Miya had been there when I entered the bathroom. Some part of me wanted to leave that out- when Miya brought my family into it she had made things personal, and that meant that I had to deal with her myself. He listened patiently, and when I was finished he spoke.

"Well, you've had quite the day haven't you? If you really want to know what I think-"

"Nev, you know I want your opinion! I wouldn't have told you all of this if I didn't!" I cried, exasperated. Thankfully, Neville was long used to my incredibly short temper.

"Ok then. So, I think that you should listen to your father. I knew your mom, and her temper flares as much as yours does. I bet even James feels bad about what he said. Give them time; they're your family, they'll come around." Still, I was unsure. The way everyone had spoken of my decision, how they had all said that being a Slytherin was such a horrible disgrace. Neville noticed my uncertainty and put his arm around me supportively.

"Trust me, they'll come to their senses. You should probably get to your next class, you've missed enough lessons for one day. I'll write you a pass." He dug out a couple of hall passes from his desk and with a smile pressed two of them into my hand.

"There's one for your friend Melonie too; I have a feeling she's waiting outside for you."

"Thanks Nev!" I called over my shoulder as I headed out into the hallway. As predicted, Mel hadn't made any move to leave while I was still in the greenhouse. I handed her a pass, which she took gratefully ("Thank Merlin! If I was late to potions again, Slughorn would kill me!") and filled her in as we walked happily towards the dungeons. _Maybe the day would end well after all. _

•••

The rest of the day went fairly well. I got 10 points for Slytherin for brewing a perfect potion, even though I had missed the first fifteen minutes of class. However, the Charms professor, Professor Zoeller (A:N/ My snazzy social studies teacher from eighth grade), assigned us a 12 inch summary over the first chapter of Charms for Beginners. Luckily, it was mostly common sense and Melonie and I both finished it during lunch. After a fun introductory lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Sturges (A:N/ My totally awesome 8th grade science teacher) we had a free period. Mel and I headed outside to sit under a shady oak tree we had discovered by the Black Lake earlier that day. (A/N: Everybody needs a conveniently located tree. Everybody.) Then I noticed that someone else was already sitting there, someone with familiar stick-straight red hair…

"Miya," I said softly, more to myself than anyone else. However, she turned around at the sound of her name and Mel took that as her cue to leave. We stared each other down for what seemed like eternity before she finally broke the silence.

"You can sit down if you'd like." I was shocked. _After what she'd done? No way! _

"Haven't you caused me enough trouble today?" I sneered. Seeing the confusion on her face, I added, "You let me miss all of my morning classes. I'm lucky the professors were to overcome with worry to be furious with me!" now it was her turn to look shocked.

"I was trying to help!" I snorted

"That's what you said last time. Remember that? When you turned Hugo against me?" She gave me a look of deepest loathing and spat,

"I was doing you a favor! I could tell you wanted to deal with your family matters alone! Next time I'll be sure to spread the word since you would obviously rather be bombarded by people!" With that she rose and spun on her heel, storming towards the castle. Suddenly I had the urge to chase after her, to apologize for everything and put all of it behind us. Miya had been trying to patch things up, and I had ruined what had most likely been my last chance to get my friend back. For the second time that day I wanted to run away; to find somewhere and break down. But I knew I couldn't do that, I had missed enough classes for one day. Also, that just wasn't my nature. When I left the bathroom, the girl I saw in the mirror wasn't me. She was a pathetic, broken soul; I am an independent, expressive phoenix. I soared above the rest, excelling in every aspect and ruling my own life. I was influential to everybody, and for that I was respected and admired. Reluctantly, I dragged myself back to reality and noticed that my free period was almost over. I trudged off to my next class, and my beautiful daydream swirled off and faded into distant hues of gold, red, and orange, leaving me alone to head down to the small hut by the forest where Care of Magical Creatures was taught.

A/N: So, what did you think? Tell me in a review, maybe? Bonus points to those who caught the Maximum Ride (James Patterson series) reference with the owl, Iggy(; Lots of love to our dear readers! *blows air kisses*


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Sorry for the really late upload! Now we've caught up with what we typed last year. So from now on, you will have to have slower updates. Sorry about that. Well, anyways on to the story…hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I'm not J. K. Rowling, unfortunately. I just realized only I'm doing disclaimers…ohwell.

~•~•~

I stood shock still by the bathroom sink after Lily shoved me away. I heard her crying softly, probably unaware that I was still in the room. My natural reaction was to make up with her; I was never one to start fights but the one who forgave. I was about to knock on the stall door to say I was sorry but I froze. _Lily has been nothing but mean to be…why should I be nice? _Silently, I opened the door of the bathroom, Lily's quiet sobs echoing in my ears. As I was walking back to the Hall with my head deep in thought, I bumped straight into Lily's older brothers. The taller one, James I believe, grabbed me by the shoulders and started to say something, but then a look of recognition passed his face.

"Oh," he said, taking his hands off my shoulders as though he'd touched fire. "Sorry, I thought you were…" he trailed off, scratching his head.

"C'mon James." The other boy said, motioning with his hands.

"Wait," James said, not looking me in the eye again. "Can you tell Lily that we're sorry?"

I nodded slowly, confused. Yeah, Lily and I did look similar at first glance. But why didn't they tell her themselves? Unfortunately it was too late to ask because suddenly they were gone. I walked in a daze to the Hall when I realized it was already time for class. I rushed out yet again to my next class, robes flying.

~•~•~

I sat down, just in time for Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Sturges. We were learning how to cast a Patronus for the first time. Professor Sturges led us into an empty room with a bunch of space to practice. He taught us the spell and called it out himself.

"Expecto Patronum!" he called out as a cheetah came out of his wand. We were mesmerized but he clapped his hands and it disappeared. "Let's get moving folks!" All of us tried at once and a few people managed to get some white smoke out of their wands, but the force of it made them fall back, laughing. It seemed like no one was able to cast it yet, and Professor Sturges had even explained that it was indeed a very difficult spell that he usually taught to fourth or fifth years. He had in mind to challenge us and made it a competition- the first person to correctly conjure their Patronus would gain fifty house points and anyone who was able to would also gain twenty house points. It was definitely some healthy competition between the houses and I tried immediately, but I couldn't find a happy thought. I raked my mind for anything, _anything_ I could find that made my joyful but I was interrupted by a light gasp behind me. I turned to find Sage with her wand out, hand trembling. She was looking up, a glowing aura on her face. I looked up as well and also gasped. It was a raven, flying in circles above our heads, cawing and flapping its misty wings. The class was amazed and Gryffindor was awarded fifty points for having cast the first Patronus.

Sage giggled and whispered to me. "Isn't it just beautiful?" she said as it flew around. I nodded, happy for her. I noticed other students getting their own Patronuses cast and the professor commenting on them. I frowned and tried yet again to conjure a happy memory. Suddenly, my mind flew to that first day: getting on the train, meeting Lily, the sorting, and that was when I knew what I was what I was looking for. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and said quietly, almost to myself, "Expecto Patronum." I felt a warmth travel through the fingers holding my wand and felt it slowly spread to my arms but I didn't once stop thinking about that happiness. I honestly didn't expect anything to happen until I heard collective gasps around the room and I peeled my eyes open little by little.

I breathed in sharply and almost stumbled back a few steps because standing in front of me was a large and regal Griffin. I'd only heard about them in mystical fairy tales that I would sneak under my covers at night and read by flashlight since my parents would never allow me to read such Muggle things. They had a front body of an eagle and a back body of a lion, and were known to be especially powerful and used to guard priceless possessions. It seemed to be pulsing with life and energy, its wings flapping when it suddenly took flight. Everyone in the room was frozen in place and seemingly intoxicated by the movement of my Patronus as it regally glided around the room. Suddenly it turned its piercing eyes towards me and I felt a thought in my mind as though a bright light had pierced through the fogginess of my brain, "_You are not who you think you are_." I gasped in surprise and clutched my head, thinking I was going insane, when it disappeared as though it had never appeared in the first place.

People immediately started whispering in their own groups while I stood there, the voice echoing in my head. It wasn't a voice I recognized or knew, but it was deep and it had vibrated through my whole body. My racing thoughts were interrupted by Professor Sturges clapping and coming up to me. "Wow, Malfoy. I have never seen a Patronus like that, how fascinating. That was fantastic progress, twenty points to Gryffindor." He nodded and walked away, going to another student and correcting his wand hold.

"Miya that was the _most amazing_ thing I have ever seen!" Hugo shouted excitedly from behind me. I turned around and smiled thanks when he looked at his feet. "Well, you know, I'm kind of, uh, having issues doing this. Could you help me?"

"Of course! Let me show you first." I was actually extremely hesitant to do it again, what if it was a fluke? After all, I was just Miya Malfoy, an insignificant girl who didn't know a thing about friends. What if the Patronus was a tease? Showing me that I was really nothing and that so many people were above me? And what was that message in my head? Was it just my mind playing tricks on me? What did it mean? I shook all these questions and 'What-if's' out of my mind and instead summoned the happy memory again, this time I keeping my eyes open. Without avail, I saw the Griffin come out of my wand with a stream of white light and this time it only stood there, its front talons and back paws moving up and down in seemingly impatience. This time I concentrated and held it longer, that happy thought, before I was interrupted again.

"Miya, could you show me how to do that?" Hugo breathed in fascination. The Patronus disappeared then and I turned back to him, my eyes shining.

"All righty then, show me what you've got." I grinned. Hugo lifted his wand, closed his eyes tightly, and shouted "Expecto Patronum!" A little stream of mist came out, but nothing more.

He sighed, exasperated. "You see?" I immediately knew what the problem was.

"Hugo, you are concentrating too hard on the spell itself. Focus on the image or memory and the moment of happiness, then say the spell as a second thought." I had course had done it the same way so I hoped that it would work for him.

He closed his eyes again and thought for a few moments, I could see the concentration through his expression. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted confidently, and this time it worked. Out came a big golden retriever, tongue lolling and tail wagging by Hugo's side. Hugo laughed in surprise and reached down to pet his Patronus. I smiled happily to myself. _I'm glad Hugo is my friend._

~•~•~

The rest of the day passed by like an inchworm climbing up a wall when suddenly, I noticed that Lily was missing.

By then, I was already in the Herbology Greenhouse when Professor Longbottom asked us during attendance, "Why is Miss Potter having difficulties coming to this class today?" I wasn't sure if I should say anything because I wanted to give her privacy, but another girl beat me to it.

"I'll go look for her Professor." She said, twirling her chestnut hair with her finger and snapping her gum, bright blue eyes shining.

"Alright Melonie, you may go do that, I'll catch you up with the class later." He nodded, looking genuinely worried. As the girl stood up I noticed that she was wearing Slytherin attire, like Lily. _Maybe they're friends?_ I shook my head and went back to my Herbology book, confused and worried. Only fifteen minutes later I saw the door of the classroom open and there she was, standing with Melonie and walking into the room confidently even though the rims of her eyes were red. Lily followed Melonie to her seat next to her, avoiding me, and I truly began to suspect if they were friends.

I sat there thinking hard about what had really happened to Lily when I heard, "Miya Malfoy, I asked you a question!"

I looked up and, being my perfectly composed self, said, "Huh?"

"Ten points from Gryffindor. Please pay more attention in class Miya." Professor Longbottom said, and we went back to our lesson. _How could this day get worse?_

Least to say, it definitely did. Next in potions I miserably failed to cut the Erumpent horn correctly to finish making the concoction of Calming Draught, when Lily made the best one in class. She was still blatantly ignoring me and I still made no move to talk to her. In Charms, we were told by Professor Zoeller to write twelve inches of parchment and even though I had finished it, I had lost it after class!

I was on the verge of screaming in frustration while walking to my next class when Hugo came, smiling as always. "Heya Miya!" he said happily.

"Please leave me alone Hugo." I snarled, my eyes a menacing stare. Hugo looked surprised and raised his eyebrows.

"Why should I?" he said, amused.

"Just get away from me, all right?" I snapped back. "Could you stop following me around for once like a…a golden retriever?"

Hugo nearly jumped, like I had slapped him on the face, which I actually did- verbally. "Alright then, someone's acting pissed off today. If you want to be that way, I'll just leave." And with that he stormed away, a look of fury on his face.

"Alright then! I don't care, leave!" I screamed at him, eyes blazing with fire, and I ran out in the complete opposite direction.

~•~•~

_Finally, free period! _I walked to the Black Lake by myself where I found the perfect tree to sit down by, its leaves broad and shady while it was placed in the best view of the sparkling water.

_And speaking of the best view…_ Lily and Melonie were walking in this direction! I quickly turned around, as if staring into the lake, when really my stomach was tied up in knots.

_What happens if she sees me here? I don't know if I want to talk to her yet. Wait, I need to tell her James and Albus' message! What in the name of Merlin should I do? _Before I could decide, I was interrupted by a soft voice,

"Miya." I whipped my head around to see Lily. Melonie immediately left her side and she walked away. I didn't know what to say at first, so I just stared at my hands nervously. After the horrid day I didn't know if I could handle anything else, but I knew that we needed to tell Lily that her brothers were sorry.

"You can sit here if you like." I said, and I could see her thoughts processing in her mind. Suddenly, my kindness was returned with a sneer that could almost compete with my father's.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble for today?" Lily snorted. I furrowed my brows in confusion. _What had I done?_

She could already sense my thoughts, "You let me miss all of my classes this morning. I'm lucky that all my professors were too overcome with worry to be furious with me."

I widened my eyes in shock. "I was only trying to help!"

She rolled her eyes in disgust. "That's what you said last time you turned Hugo against me."

Suddenly I understood what she meant and I was steaming furious. "I was doing you a favor! I could tell that you wanted to deal with your family matters alone! Next time, I'll be sure to spread the word since you would rather be bombarded with people!" And at that, I hastily got up turned around without looking for a reaction on her face.

~•~•~

_Run, run, run, run, run._ That was all I thought as I sprinted as far away as possible. I'm sure that many people I passed were curious by what they saw, but my eyes were too red with fury to know even where I was going. _Run, run, run, run, run. _Suddenly, I crashed into the Gryffindor Common Room.

_How did I end up here? _It was deserted, everyone outside to enjoy the nice day outside. I sank to my knees and without thought I expressed my feelings. "_Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhrrgghh!_"I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was sure that everyone in the school heard it as it echoed coldly off the stone walls, but I was in too much of a shock to understand what was happening.

_How could this happen to me? It's my third day at Hogwarts, I'm supposed to be having fun, making friends, and learning…but all I can do is lose friends and fail class! And to top that off, my parents are mad at me!_

Since the beginning, I had held it in, like a stone being pounded by millions of hammers, but I held still and strong. Now, my act was over and the stone had given up its fight, my mental barrier that I had so precisely placed since I knew what my family's expectations were, shut down and collapsed.

A wave of held in tears took my eyes away until all I saw was pain- pain, fury, and hate. I sobbed recklessly, my whole body falling to the floor as my chest reeked with sobs that I had needed to be cried out a long time ago. I didn't care, my sense of time, energy, and life was lost and I was in my own world of sadness. I cried for Lily, I cried for Hugo, I cried for my house placement, I cried for my parents yelling at me, but most of all, I cried for my life. It honestly wasn't my fault I was born into the Malfoy name. I'd always know that with the name would come countless reactions, namely hatred and anger. By a young age I knew that my family was never good throughout my life, and I thought they were selfish. My parents never let me make my own decisions, keeping me in on a tight leash that directed me exactly where they wanted me to go. Until now, my life had been shielded and hidden away by them, and now that they finally gave it to me I was completely ruining it. I had only been in school for a couple of days but I could already understand why life was honestly such a beautiful, yet disastrous and delicate thing. It was precariously held, suspended by a thread, and it was your choice whether or not to stay strong or unravel. While I cried, the only thing I heard were my tears as they leaked through my life, and because of this I never heard him walk in.

"Miya?" I heard a voice. I slowly raised my head up, embarrassed, and I saw him through my watery vision. _Hugo. I_ didn't know how long I had been in there but again I was awash with yet another round of tears. I felt arms come around me and a soothing voice, humming in my ear.

"It's okay, shhh, calm down, you fine Miya, I'll always be here for you." The voice continued to say this over and over again as it reached my heart and then my tears were finally lighter. I felt like as if my body had been wrung out like a towel.

"H-hugo?" I hiccupped, still feeling the dry sobs in my chest.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Thank you, for…e-everything." I said, softly wiping at my eyes. The arms slowly patted my hair.

"Of course, now just understand that everything is _all right_."

"You promise?" I said meekly, my throat dry and I found it hard to speak. "Of course, I do." He laughed gently.

"H-how did y-you find me?" I asked, wiping away at my cheeks. My skin was dry and I had just noticed how the salt from my tears stung my face. I winced as I felt it.

"Well," he said softly, "It began with that scream." I shook my head, embarrassed and disbelieving.

"Everyone kinda laughed but I _knew_ it was you. Suddenly, I'm face to face with the Lily Potter girl and she looked really worried too. I asked if she knew where you went but she said that you ran off to this group of towers. I started searching and calling out you name but this is where I looked last. I assumed that you wouldn't want to come to the Gryffindor Tower. So here I am, your knight in shining armor, huh?" He grinned softly, being the good natured Hugo, and I attempted a smile back. I was honestly amazed that Lily actually cared enough to tell Hugo where I was.

He laughed, "That looks more like a grimace to me, but c'mon, we've almost missed our entire dinner." He helped me up and I laughed when I saw my reflection in a nearby mirror. My eyes were bloodshot and my tears had stained my entire blouse. Quickly, I ran to my dorm to change clothes and told Hugo to stay put.

He met me at the entrance of the dorm. "Thanks for everything Hugo. I'm so sorry for what I said earlier, will you ever forgive me?" I said, looking at him.

In response he stepped up, put his arms around me tightly, and for once I honestly felt safe and whole again. "Of course Miya, you are forgiven."

Then we sprinted to the Hall, laughing. I had tried to make all the redness come out of my eyes, but it hadn't worked at all. As we made our entrance, heads turned and people started whispering again.

"Don't mind those jerks Miya." Hugo said, and we sat down next to Sage. I looked at my plate and picked at my food. _I wonder what the rest of my time at Hogwarts will be like…_

~•~•~

**A/N:** This was definitely the longest chapter I've typed so far, I really tried to put some emotion into it. Those of you having a hard time, just know that there are people here for you and nothing is ever lost.

Oh, and I assume everyone's seen the Deathly Hallows Part One already? Oh my, I was in a state of shock in the end. It was definitely the best out of all seven and met my expectations; imagine what the last will be like!

Reviews are strongly encouraged. Love you all (:

~Shae


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